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Men's Basketball
Two-Minute Drill: Inside the Albany Postgame
By Brandon Castel

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It was a comforting homecoming for the Buckeyes on Sunday.

After condensation cancelled their original season-opener down in Charleston, the Ohio State men’s basketball team finally got a chance to start the season with an 82-60 victory over Albany.

Point guard Aaron Craft led the way with 20 points and seven assists, while Deshaun Thomas added 19 points and Lenzelle Smith, Jr. chipped in with 18 points and five rebounds.

Here’s a look at what the players and coaches had to say after Ohio State’s home-opener.

Albany Coach Talks Buckeyes

* Albany coach Will Brown on Aaron Craft: "He’s going to be in the NBA for 10 years, I’m sure."

* Brown: "My guys go to McDonalds to eat, they have McDonalds All-Americans coming off the bench."

* Albany coach said the key for this Ohio State team will be getting some production from the center position.

* Brown said he thought the timeout by Thad Matta fueled the Buckeyes. "I saw him jump off the bench, looked like he had a 40 inch vertical."

* Brown thinks Ohio State was amped up to play Marquette Friday night. Took that out on little ‘ole Albany today.

* Brown said he had no idea how strong and powerful Lenzelle Smith was. Thought he was just a wiry shooter.

* Brown said it's extremely difficult to guard Deshaun Thomas when he's playing the 4 instead of the 3. His PF's couldn't defend him.

Matta Breaks Down the Win

* Matta said he was upset with a player who put his palms in the air and said something to a teammate. Led to the timeout.

* Matta said he was on his big men a halftime for their rebounding. Said their ball-screen D was as good as it's ever been.

* Matta said Craft spent a lot of time in the gym this offseason. He took great shots today and had 7 assists.

* Matta joked he was disappointed Craft went without a steal for the 9th time in his career.

* Matta doesn't know if Deshaun Thomas could have played through his rough start in the past. Was in his own world during first timeout.

Players Thoughts

* Lenzelle Smith said Carrier Classic game took him back to his first days as basketball player. Felt he knew every face in the crowd.

* Lenzelle said he did his little strut away from the court because you don't get too many chances to hit a buzzer-beater.

* Deshaun Thomas admitted he was a little frustrated early. Said freshman year he would have hung his head and pouted, but his teammates kept telling him to stay with it.

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